Customer Reviews

Japanese Buddhism (Kegan Paul Japan Library)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To come to the point right at the beginning of my review, let it be said that "Japanese Buddhism" is an exciting and immensely rewarding book. The author, Sir Charles Eliot, served as British ambassador to Japan from 1920 to 1925 and both his knowledge of Japanese thought and culture as well as the fact that as a scholar he had dedicated his life to the study of Asian religions may have made him the one non-Japanese expert of his time best qualified to write on the subject. Sadly, Sir Charles did not live to see his work published as he died - shortly before its completion - in 1931, but thanks to the efforts of his publishers and of George B. Sansom, an eminent Japanologist who wrote the last chapter, the book was finally printed in 1935.

Apparently, "Japanese Buddhism" is complementary to an earlier work by Sir Charles on Hinduism and Buddhism. Nevertheless, he does well to again describe Buddhism as it originated in India and how it made its way to China and finally reached Japan during the sixth century, as the evolution of Buddhism in Japan cannot be completely grasped without knowing Buddhism's history in India and China. The book thus is divided into three parts: As mentioned above, the first part deals with the characteristics of Buddhism as it was (and still is) practised in India and China, the second part is dedicated to a general history of Japanese Buddhism from the sixth century till the end of the Tokugawa period (mid-19th century) whereas the third part explains in considerable detail those "sects" - or "schools", as they are most often called today - that arguably played a decisive role in shaping the particularly Japanese interpretation of the original Buddhist tenets, namely the schools of Tendai, Shingon and Zen Buddhism as well as the schools of Amidism and the one founded by the charismatic Nichiren.

What is remarkable about Sir Charles' book is that it has withstood expert criticism and continues to be an excellent portrayal of Japanese Buddhism in spite of the 65 years that have elapsed since it was first published. True, the book offers no information whatsoever on the development after 1868 and thus no mention is made of the disestablishing of countless Buddhist temples after the Meiji Restauration - let alone the so-called "new religions" (shinshukyo) that were organized as lay Buddhist movements and which appeared only after Sir Charles' death - but anyone interested in the pristine forms of Japanese Buddhism may confidently turn to Sir Charles' book. The only reason why I do not rate "Japanese Buddhism" a 5-star-book is that in my opinion the Jodo school - which evolved side by side with Zen Buddhism and the Nichiren school - is not given the attention it deserves. Apart from this minor weakness, however, this is a rather comprehensive book on the origins of Japanese Buddhism and offers fascinating reading for everybody interested in the subject.